Easy Summer Pasta Salad
I whipped up probably the easiest meal ever for a family get-together this weekend. And I didn’t even cheat by getting takeout.
The main meal was brat kebabs and a super easy, yet so yummy pasta salad.
Brat kebabs couldn’t be easier. I skewered 1 inch pieces of Sabatino’s artichoke and garlic brats with pieces of onion, red bell pepper and zucchini. The brats are pre-cooked so just grill ’em up until they’re warmed through.
I found the inspiration for the pasta salad in Anne Byrn’s The Dinner Doctor
The ingredients make for the perfect, simple, light, summery pasta salad. I was able to pluck some fresh spinach from the garden and the grocery store finally has basil and tomatoes that are taste like they’ve seen the sun.
And a heart-filled “thanks” to Anne Byrn for introducing me to basil and tomato feta cheese. I’ll be exploring some more uses for that in the future. Yu-um.
I did make a few adjustments in the quantities of the original recipe to boost the flavor. 1/2 cup of basil? Not nearly enough!
Ingredients List
- 1 lb pasta (penne, rotini, bow-tie, etc)
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach (bite-size pieces, not smaller)
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 6-oz pre-crumbled package of basil and tomato Feta cheese
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, slivered
- 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette (I used Newman’s Own)
Method
Cook pasta according to package directions. Strain and rinse with cold water.
In a large bowl, toss together all salad ingredients.
Shake up the vinaigrette, measure and pour over salad. Toss again until salad is evenly coated.
Serve immediately or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to one full day. I found that the salad that remained for leftovers the next day had absorbed the dressing and it needed just a splash more of the vinaigrette.
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